Driving mechanism for laundry machines



Patented Sept. 1 1936 uumzo sTArs P TENT OFFICE DRIVING MECHANISM FOR LAUNDRY MACHINES Walter K. Voss, Davenport, Iowa Application September 28, 1934, Serial No. 745,902 6-Claims. (or. 74-75 The invention relates generally to driving mechanism for laundry machines, and more particularly to washing machines of the household type which customarily embody a clothes wringing device.

An object of the invention is to provide mechanism of this nature which includes a novel means for disconnecting at will the action of the washing mechanism, such means being of a simple, economical construction embodying few parts in addition to those conventionally employed in such driving mechanisms, yet in operation being positive and efiicient.

Another object of the invention is to provide '0 a driving mechanism for the washer and wringer elements of a laundry machine which embodies novel means for connecting and disconnecting the driven eccentric by which the washer element is actuated from the gear member by '20 which the wringer element is driven.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following description and from the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a driving mechanism embodying the features of the invention, the top of the housing being omitted and parts being in section for clarity.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary generally vertical section through a laundry machine showing the arrangement of parts in the assembly of the driving mechanism.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown in the drawing and will herein de- '35 scribe in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that I do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific form dis closed, but intend to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing, which show merely for illustrative purposes, a laundry machine in which the features of the invention arepresent, I0 designates a gear housing which is fixed in any suitable manner beneath the usual laundry tub II. An oscillatory agitator l2 within the tub is adapted to be driven by means of a shaft I3 which extends upwardly through the tub bottom, suitable water tight bearings and fittings l4 being associated with the shaft and tub to prevent leakage. The shaft l3 extends downwardly from the tub through a sleeve IE on the housing [0 and into 55 said housing where it is engaged with a lower bearing 16 and driving means to be'presently described.

The housing extends horizontally beyond the side of the tub and a vertical shaft I! is journalled as at I8, in the housing to extend upwardly through a sleeve I9 along the tub side. i This shaft is conventionally used to drive a. clothes wringing device (not shown).

A preferred form of driving mechanism for effecting operation of the shafts l3 and I! comprises the following arrangement of parts. A suitable prime mover, herein shown as an electric motor 20, is mounted on the machine frame with its armature axis 2| extending vertically and its upper end supporting a pulley 22 or the like. An endless belt 23 engages pulley 22 and another pulley 24 on the outer end of a vertical stub shaft 25 which extends into and is suitably journalled on the housing. Within the housing the stub shaft has a pinion 26 fixed thereto near its lower end for driving engagement with a large gear 21 which is pinned as at 28 or otherwise rigidly secured to the wringer shaft l1. Through these connections the wringer shaft is constantly driven in one direction when the motor 20 is operating.

For driving the agitator shaft I3 with an oscillating movement, a disk 29 has a hub 30 located eccentrically thereon through which the wringer shaft l'l extends. The disk is therefore an eccentric element mounted loosely and rotatably upon the wringer shaft. The eccentric disk is normally positioned immediately adjacent to the gear 21 and the periphery of the disk is fashined for engagement with an encircling or embracing strap 3|. Formed integrally with the strap and extending radially therefrom is a pitman 32 for pivoted connection, as at 33, with a crank arm 34 secured near the lower end of the agitator shaft I3. When the eccentric disk' is rotated, these connectionsare effective to translate such movement to an oscillatory movement of the agitator shaft.

.A simple and efficient means is employed to drive the eccentric disk which involves a driving connection between said disk and the large gear 27 by which the wringer shaft is driven. Thus the gear 21 has, near its periphery, a series of elongated slots 35 disposed in end to end relation. The eccentric disk carries a pin 35 or the like which projects toward the gear and is adapted to enter any of the slots 35 to establish a driving connection between the disk and gear. The pin is relatively short, the length being such that shifting movement of the disk axially a distance just pivoted to the outer end of the stud has an eccen-' tric cam action with the wall of the housing to shift the stud and parts connected therewith and thereby eifect movement of the eccentric disk along the wringer shaft. A spring M encircling the stud and bearing between the housing and the shifting fork urges the eccentric disk toward the gear 21 thereby normally to establish the driving connection therebetween. A' pin 42 on the wringer shaft or similar means may be employed to limit the extent of shifting movement of the disk away from the gear so that disengagement of the disk and strap is prevented.

An antifriction means such as a washer 43 may be advantageously interposed betweenthe eccentric disk and the gear to space these elements slightly apart. This washer is of ample size to be engaged by one portion of the strap to eliminate anobjectionable wiping or grinding action of the strap against the face of the gear.

It will be evident from the foregoing that a novel structure 'and'arrangement of parts in a disconnectable driving mechanism of this nature has been provided. v Accurate fashioning of complementary clutch parts iseliminated since the slots may be easily cast in the gear while the pin may be cast on the disk or added thereto as a simple screw-threaded part. The assembly of the structure is substantially the same as it would be without the disengageable feature and no extra parts are required other thanthe means by which the position of the disk is manually determined.

I claim as my invention:

1. A driving mechanism for laundry machines comprising, in combination, a wringershaft having a driving gear aifixedthereto, means for constantly driving said gear, an eccentric loosely mounted on said shaft in substantial face to face abutment with said gear, an agitator drive shaft,

a crank and pitman mechanism operatively connecting said agitator drive shaft and said eccentric for effecting oscillation of said drive shaft from'the rotary movements of said eccentric, and

including a strap encircling said eccentric, said gear having a series of slots of substantial length disposed in circular series near the periphery thereof, a pin carried by said eccentric for entry into any slot to establish adriving connection between said gear and eccentric, and manually controlled means for shifting said eccentric axially of said wringer shaft and within said strap a distance ample to move said pin clear of a slot engaged thereby and insufficient to disengage said eccentric from said strap.

said element.

2. In a driving mechanism of the character described, the combination of a constantly rotating shaft having a rotatable driving member fixed thereto, an oscillatable shaft, means connecting said driving member and said oscillatable shaft for translating rotary into oscillatory movement including an eccentric loosely mounted on said rotating shaft in face to face relation with said driving member and an encircling strap about said eccentric, a pin and slot driving connection between said eccentric and driving member, and means for shifting said eccentric relative to said strap and toward and away from said driving member to establish and interrupt said driving connection.

3. In a driving mechanism of the character described, the combination of a constantly rota-t- .ing shaft having a rotatable driving member therefor fixed thereto, an oscillatable shaft, connecting means for translating rotary movement of said driving member intooscillatory movement .of said oscillatable shaft including an eccentric loose on said rotating shaft and substantially in abutment with said driving member, a-disengageable driving connection between said eccentric ,and said driving member releasable by movement of said eccentric toward and away from said driving member, and manipulable means for effecting such movement. I

4. In a driving mechanism of the character de- ,scribed, the combination of a. driven rotatable member for driving a wringer shaft, an eccentric having a driving connection for oscillating an agitator shaft, means for supporting said eccentric for movement axially toward and away from said rotatable member, and a driving connection between said eccentric and rotatable member respectively engageable and disengageable by such movement of the eccentric. V

5. In a driving mechanism of the character described, the combination of a rotatable driving member for an operating shaft, an eccentric member for oscillating a second operating shaft, said members being located side by side for movementabout the same center, means for shifting one of said members relatively toward'and away from the other member, and a driving connection between said members disengageable by relative separating movement of the movable member and engageable by relative approaching. movement thereof. a 1

6. In a driving mechanism of the character described, the combination of 'a rotatable driving 'member' and a driven eccentric member for effecting oscillatory movement of i an operating part and having ,an oscillatory movement tran's- L 'mitting element'operatively associated therewith,

said members being mountedfor movement about substantially the same axis, a pin on said eccentric member extending in the direction'of said ,W ERK- e,

driving member, said driving member having fa 

